Just everyday stuff in the kitchen and garden.

Acorn Squash & Geen Peas Uttappam

This was one of those mornings I crave something other than the usual American breakfast fare. South India is famous for their savory breakfasts such as Idli, Upma, Uttappam, Palappam to name a few. I most often make Upma and Uttappam because they are wonderful vehicles for loading breakfast with vegetables. This morning I chose to make Uttappam, taking the easy way by using an instant mix.

Uttappam is a pancake made mostly of urad dal and rice. The vegetables are usually added as toppings immediately after the batter is poured into the pan (sometimes the uttappam is not flipped at all). I like to mix the vegetables into the batter itself. Not only are they less likely to fall off when the pancake is flipped, but a lot more veggies can be packed in.

I used the last of the Honey Bear Acorn Squash from this summer’s garden as the main vegetable.

The fluted contour of the acorn squash’s exterior make them difficult to peel so I opted to grate it skin and all.

To the grated squash I added partially cooked green peas, green onion, red onion and a few small green chilis (most of the seeds removed).

I tossed the veggies with the dry Uttappam mix and because of the volume of vegetables I also mixed in some Palappam Podi, which is essentially rice flour.

Starting out I added enough water to make a fairly thick batter to allow for the moisture in the vegetables. After making the first couple pancakes I thinned the batter with more water which made it easier to spread in the pan.

The pancakes were cooked in a nonstick pan greased with coconut oil.

These healthy pancakes happen to be vegan and gluten free, not that it matters to me or anyone who eats the food I prepare.